Ancient Greek boxing (Greek: πυγμαχίαpygmachia, "fist fighting") dates back to at weast de 8f century BCE (Homer'sIwiad), and was practiced in a variety of sociaw contexts in different Greek city-states. Most extant sources about ancient Greek boxing are fragmentary or wegendary, making it difficuwt to reconstruct de ruwes, customs and history surrounding dis activity in great detaiw. Stiww, it is cwear dat gwoved boxing bouts were a significant part of ancient Greek adwetic cuwture droughout de earwy cwassicaw period.

There is archeowogicaw and artistic evidence of ancient Greek boxing (πύξ - pyx[1] or πυγμή - pygme[2] in Αncient Greek) as earwy as de Minoan and Mycenaean periods. There are numerous wegends about de origins of boxing in Greece. One wegend howds dat de heroic ruwer Theseus invented a form of boxing in which two men sat face to face and beat each oder wif deir fists untiw one of dem was kiwwed. In time, de boxers began to fight whiwe standing and wearing gwoves (wif spikes) and wrappings on deir arms bewow de ewbows, but oderwise dey fought naked.

According to de Iwiad, Mycenaean warriors incwuded boxing among deir competitions honoring de fawwen, dough it is possibwe dat de Homeric epics refwect water Greek cuwture. Boxing was among de contests hewd in memoriaw of Achiwwes' swain friend Patrocwus, toward de end of de Trojan war. It was in commemoration of Patrocwus dat de Greeks water introduced boxing (pygme / pygmachia) to de Owympic Games in BCE 688. Participants trained on punching bags (cawwed a korykos). Fighters wore weader straps (cawwed himantes) over deir hands (weaving de fingers free), wrists, and sometimes breast, to protect demsewves from injury. There was no protection for de face or head.

The schowar and historian Phiwostratus maintained dat boxing was originawwy devewoped in Sparta. The earwy Spartans bewieved hewmets were unnecessary and boxing prepared dem for de inevitabwe bwows to de head dey wouwd receive in battwe.[3] However, Spartans never participated in de competitive aspect of boxing, bewieving de means of defeat to be dishonorabwe.[4]

Minoan youds boxing (BCE 1500), Knossos fresco. This is de earwiest known evidence for de use of gwoves.

The stywe of protection utiwized on de hands and knuckwes couwd determine de stywe of fighting for de competitors. From de time of de Iwiad untiw around 500 BCE, himantes were used as protection for de knuckwes and hand. They were dongs of ox hide approximatewy 3.0–3.7 m (9.8–12.1 ft) wong dat were wrapped around de hands and knuckwes numerous times. The dongs usuawwy had woops in which an adwete couwd insert four of his fingers and cwench dem togeder in a fist. Generawwy, dis was de onwy form of protection worn by participants from de era of Homer untiw de end of de fiff century. This is in contrast to modern boxing, which utiwizes dick, padded gwoves. Cwassicaw sources describe dese as "soft gwoves", dough modern study has indicated dat dese dongs were far from soft and were protection for de knuckwes, not to soften de bwow to de opponent. They can be found on many vases excavated from de fiff and sixf century BCE.[5]

In around BCE 400 sphairai were introduced. The sphairai were very simiwar to himantes. The onwy notabwe difference was dat dey contained a padded interior when wrapped around de hands and de exterior of de dong was notabwy more rigid and hard. In addition, "sharp dongs" were introduced during dis time period to faciwitate greater damage and remained popuwar up untiw around AD 200.[5][6]

Soon before de impwementation of de sphairai, de oxys were introduced to boxing. They consisted of severaw dick weader bands encircwing de hand, wrist, and forearm. A band of fweece was pwaced on de forearm to wipe away sweat. Leader braces extended up de forearm to give greater support when punching and de knuckwes were reinforced wif weader as weww.[7]

Korykos were de eqwivawent to modern punching bags. They were used for practice in de Pawaestra and were fiwwed wif sand, fwour, or miwwet. They were commonwy depicted in art depicting boxing of de time.[5]

Unwike modern boxing, de Greeks did not encwose de competitors in a ring to encourage fighting in cwose qwarters. Therefore, most boxers fought defensivewy as opposed to offensivewy to encourage patience and caution, uh-hah-hah-hah. In addition, boxing in Ancient Greece was not divided into individuaw rounds. Competitors fought untiw finish, usuawwy by surrender or mutuaw exhaustion, uh-hah-hah-hah. Fewwed boxers couwd be attacked widout conseqwence, just as if dey were standing.[5]

Whiwe de practice of dividing boxers into weight cwasses is popuwar in de modern worwd, it was an unheard of practice for de Greeks. Typicawwy, any man who wished to participate in de event was wewcome to regardwess of strengf or muscwe mass, and participants competed wif each oder drough random drawings.[5]

The precise ruwes of boxing in antiqwity cannot be known for certain, and are dus inferred from historicaw references and images. It is bewieved dat any type of bwow wif de hand was permitted, dough using de hands to gouge at de eyebawws was not. Howding or wrestwing one's opponent was awso prohibited. If de fight wasted too wong due to de tenacity of de competitors, de adwetes couwd choose to exchange bwows undefended to speed up de process. Judges probabwy enforced de ruwes by beating de offenders wif a switch or a whip.[5]